Welcome

Yale University’s Department of Anthropology was officially founded in 1937 and traces its origins of research and teaching to work done within the Peabody Museum of Natural History (1866) and the Institute of Human Relations (1928). The Department is home to over 30 faculty and nearly 120 graduate students and undergraduate majors.

News

Anthropology Majors:
Are you thinking about what you will do this summer? Do you need to fulfill requirements for your major? Do you want to take a course you were unable to fit in during the regular academic year?
Consider Yale Summer Session.
We offer courses for Yale College credit in over 50... Read more

“Ancient malaria patients, the anthropologist will see you now.
A Yale University scientist has developed a promising new method to identify malaria in the bone marrow of ancient human remains. It is the first time researchers have been able to establish a diagnostic, human skeletal profile for the... Read more

This work was done in collaboration with graduate student Melanie Beuerlein, Professor David Watts, and Professor Richard Bribiescas.
“Non-invasive measurement of urinary cortisol is a proven method of evaluating the impact of environmental stressors on wild primates. Variation in cortisol... Read more

“Distinctions between the concepts of ‘invention’ and ‘innovation’ are often confusing and ambiguous. Rarely, if ever, is invention the result of a lightening-strike ‘aha’ moment. Rather, invention tends to be the application of clever innovation from one aspect of life to another, shaped through... Read more

“Human sacrifice in ancient Mesoamerica was strongly linked with ritual behaviour and mythical beliefs. Yet it is rarely possible to explain the mythical associations of archaeological deposits derived from human sacrifice. In this article, we integrate archaeological, taphonomic and isotopic... Read more